Fuel cells efficiently and electrochemically convert fuel into electric current, which may then be used to power electric circuits, such as drive systems for vehicles. A fuel cell containing a proton exchange membrane is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy using hydrogen as fuel and oxygen/air as oxidant. A typical proton exchange membrane fuel cell is generally composed of five layers that form a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly. The membrane electrode assembly includes a solid polymer electrolyte proton conducting membrane, two gas diffusion layers, and two catalyst layers.
Catalyst performance is directly tied to fuel cell performance. The electrochemical reactions in a fuel cell occur on the surface of active metal catalysts. Atoms in the surface of the catalyst interact with the fuel and oxidant gases, making and breaking chemical bonds. To optimize the rate of these reactions, fuel cell catalysts are synthesized with nanometer sizes to increase the surface area of the catalyst. However, traditional solution-based chemical techniques for the preparation of metal nanoparticles are typically time-consuming and labor intensive processes.